The inside scoop on food in Los Angeles

The Cobbler Lady finds a recipe for business success

August 17, 2010 | 1:44
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When customers told Pam Wright, aka the Cobbler Lady in Leimert Park, that they wanted more dough in their dessert, she rolled with it. Today, her specialties are a kind of cobbler meets dumpling, thanks to the extra layer of dough that she slips into each fruit-filled pan.

"Customers always ask for more crust, so I experimented to get the most in there without drying out the filling," she explains.

Taking her customers' suggestions to heart has given Wright more time to focus on the trickiest part of making cobbler for a living -- figuring out how to expand the business without losing everything.

Click here to read Jenn Garbee's story about Wright and the remarkably generous customers, family and friends -- and even the occasional landlord -- who have given her more support over the years than any bank loan ever could. (Her winning smile and those fresh-from-the-oven peach cobblers haven't hurt, either.)